Dressing alternatives

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Replies

  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    I am seeking suggestions for alterntatives to a healthier dressing to use on my salads. My all time favorite is Ranch dressing. I tend to favor the creamy dressings. This really eats up my calories/fat for the day. I don't like any type of vinegrette dressings. I will do italian dressings from time-to-time.

    I hear a lot of low fat/low cal dressings are loaded with sugars and bad for you ingredients.

    Does anyone have any great ideas, or possible home made recipes they are willing to share?

    I agree dressings can be muck.

    My goto "recipe" is more of a template.

    1 part acid (vinegar, lemon juice, lime juice, pickle juice etc.)
    1 part oil (olive, mayo, peanut oil, bacon fat, etc)
    dash of anything else (mustard, cayenne, spices, etc)

    I just use this guideline and make dressing out of whatever I have....by combining ingredients in a bowl whisking then adding salad parts and tossing.

    Usually one Tablespoon of each and it goes a long way.
  • earthsember
    earthsember Posts: 435 Member
    I tend to do oil and vinegar, or sometimes I'll do salad dry with something like avocado or cheese on it. I know you said you like creamy - if you like a Mexican food type taste try mixing 2tbsp sour cream (around 50cal) with salsa and putting that on top :) I do fish taco salads this way and it's delicious
  • Pudding1980
    Pudding1980 Posts: 1,264 Member
    Hummus can also work nicely as a dressing if you warm it up a bit to thin it out, or mix it with some olive oil or lemon juice.
  • dawnmcneil10
    dawnmcneil10 Posts: 638 Member
    I use plain greek yogurt with seasonings or a bottled dressing, also cottage cheese pureed. Both of these add protein and provide that creamy goodness. I saw a few others using avocado and salsa which are also great ideas.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    I've found the best way is to not eat salads.
  • OccamsDisposableRazor
    OccamsDisposableRazor Posts: 49 Member
    bump!
  • Flab2Fab27
    Flab2Fab27 Posts: 461 Member
    Use less dressing, measure it and fit it into your daily goal.
  • Alice_in_VVonderland
    Alice_in_VVonderland Posts: 67 Member
    Litehouse has the most AMAZING Greek Yogurt dressings called OPA.

    They have a Feta Dill, and Blue Cheese that are 25-30 calories per Tablespoon. They also have Ranch and Caesar that I haven't tried yet.

    Off the top of my head here's a low-cal ranch you can throw together:

    2 Tablespoons of fat free sour cream (20 calories)
    1 Tablespoon of reduced fat/cal olive oil based mayonnaise (35 calories)
    a dash or pinch of each of the following seasonings to taste:
    Freeze dried chives (optional)
    Dill (optional)
    Salt
    Pepper
    Garlic powder (or granulated garlic)
    Onion powder
    Parsley

    That would be a single serving of dressing, but it would be easier if you made a small batch of about 5 servings at a time so you have some wiggle room on the amount of seasoning. Let it sit for a few hours in the fridge.
  • auntiemsgr8
    auntiemsgr8 Posts: 483 Member
    Stop buying pre-made dressings.

    1. MEASURE MEASURE MEASURE 1 T. olive oil + 1 T. GOOD (not cheap, it will taste bad) balsamic vinegar add freshly ground black pepper (yes, you need the pepper). Honestly I don't even need to have the oil when I'm using a good balsamic. mmmmmmm. If you have a Baker and Olive store near you, the Traditional Balsamic is wonderful, and they have a million other flavors you can try too. Yes, expensive, but worth it. Life is short. A big bottle of balsamic lasts a LOOOOONG TIME. Often street fairs have vendors sampling and selling balsamics.


    2. 1 T olive oil + juice of fresh lemon, lime, or orange (maybe even grapefruit). Microwave your fruit 20 seconds, roll it HARD on the counter to maximize the juice; cut & ream with a fork or reamer. ADD FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER.

    3. Oil + Red wine vinegar + pepper

    4. Try other oils and other vinegars - almond, walnut, sesame . . . visit your local kitchen store.

    Just google salad dressings. It is seriously so easy to make your own. Don't buy that garbage from the stores.

    Stop buying pre-made dressings.


    So we should stop buying pre-made dressings??

    These dressings sound easy and good. Thanks for sharing
  • mikeyboy
    mikeyboy Posts: 1,057 Member
    Different things I put on my salads:

    Salsa
    Chicken tossed in wing sauce
    Roasted garlic rice vinegar
    Hummus
    Taboule
    Olive oil
    Key lime juice mixed with greek yogurt
    Kraft lite chipotle mayo with lemon juice

    There are endless combos if you think differently about salad toppings.
  • hpaschetag
    hpaschetag Posts: 14 Member
    Walden Farms makes 0 calorie dressings. They have a ranch that is decent. It is obviously not the same as full calorie ranch, but it helps. Their sun dried tomato italian is pretty good.
  • andreavarangu
    andreavarangu Posts: 78 Member
    Salad dressings are super easy once you start making them. and they taste sooooo much better than what you buy in a bottle. Start with a good quality fresh olive oil.....then add an acid....that can be fresh squeezed citrus (and I sometimes add some wine if there's some in the fridge).....or a balsamic.

    If I want to creamy it up...I use a small amount of some creamy cheese like soft feta or a bit of mascarpone or Boursin....or you can use some avocado or some Dijon mustard and honey. sometimes I also use some mashed fruit purée. Mango is wonderful. Then add some freshly ground pepper and salt . The flavour you choose depends on what is in your salad. Salads with fruit go well with cheese and wine.

    Then the key after you make some delicious homemade dressing is don't use too much! make a quality delicious dressing and use it sparingly.....don't drown your salad. It literally just takes a few minutes to make a great dressing and once you get into the habit you'll find that you will begin experimenting.
  • fit_rox
    fit_rox Posts: 83
    Tzaziki
    Hummus
    Salsa mixed with hot sauce
    Balsamic vinegar mixed with salt, pepper, and oregano
  • kirili3
    kirili3 Posts: 244 Member
    How apportioned amounts? I like to use Kewpie Deep-Roasted Sesame dressing, which is 43 kcal for 10 ml... it's a lot, but a tablespoon goes a long way. Is there are particularly strong flavoured dressing you could use a little of?

    ... Sometimes I end up drinking the dressing because it's delicious, but normally it works.
  • tyildirim
    tyildirim Posts: 6
    Bolthouse Farms makes some really great dressing for about 50 calories per serving. I love the creamy yogurt ranch... Also Ken's is pretty great too!
  • abcreed
    abcreed Posts: 15 Member
    The Ken's light dressings are pretty good -- I absolutely love their light Caesar.

    I make my own Ranch by mixing one container of light Daisy sour cream (I have tried the greek yogurt but the flavor is weird to me for some reason) and a packet of the Hidden Valley Ranch dry mix -- it makes a thick, dip-like consistency, so when I put it on my salad, I thin it down with some water before I pour it on my salad. It comes out to be ~45 cals for 2 tablespoons
  • Fit_Fox88
    Fit_Fox88 Posts: 410 Member
    Bolthouse Farms makes some really great dressing for about 50 calories per serving. I love the creamy yogurt ranch... Also Ken's is pretty great too!

    I second the Bolthouse Farms. Also, OP, check out www.skinnytaste.com. Gina has a ton of creamy style dressings on her website, including ranch :)
  • momsfavoritechild
    momsfavoritechild Posts: 48 Member
    Thanks so much everyone for the wonderful suggestions and taking the time to reply!!
  • angiez93
    angiez93 Posts: 63
    I played around with salad dressing until I figured out a combo that I liked: balsamic vinegar, lime juice, fresh chopped garlic and ginger, cilantro. It's full of strong flavors, so you won't need to use much!
  • fr053n
    fr053n Posts: 2,793 Member
    I really like tomato sauce on my salads. No added sugar, though!
  • weightliftingdiva
    weightliftingdiva Posts: 522 Member
    Bump because great ideas.
  • O2Bslimagain
    O2Bslimagain Posts: 120 Member
    I like dill, so I take a thick greek yogurt and add some dill to it. It is tasty. You can also add other spices to it too. That is for a creamier dressing. I also have used apple cider vinegar with some lime juice, salt and pepper. Red wine vinegar with some puree'd strawberries is really good too- especially if you put chopped up chicken and strawberries on your salad. I also add hemp hearts. Yummy!
  • SpecialKitty7
    SpecialKitty7 Posts: 678 Member
    hands down, bolthouse farms yogurt dressings. love the salsa ranch on chicken, and the ceasar parmigiano is great. husband likes the ranch

    http://bolthouse.com/products/dressings

    looks like they have greek yogurt dressings now, haven't tried those.
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
    I use straight up Balsamic Vinegar, low calorie.
  • ohiotubagal
    ohiotubagal Posts: 190 Member
    Bumping for all the great ideas!!
  • Archon2
    Archon2 Posts: 462 Member
    I played around with salad dressing until I figured out a combo that I liked: balsamic vinegar, lime juice, fresh chopped garlic and ginger, cilantro. It's full of strong flavors, so you won't need to use much!

    ^^^ Now that sounds good!!

    Also, many good ideas in this thread. Never thought to use sour cream as a base, but I can see how that could work! Yogurt too. I see how both would work towards making something like a Ranch style dressing.

    Speaking of Ranch, I use that to replace Mayonnaise in things like sandwiches and tuna. Works good and half the calories.

    For salads, if I am making my own dressing, I keep it basic. A little olive oil, along with some basil, garlic, and vinegar, with some Romano cheese. Shake in a bottle. My kids like it too.

    If worried about calories, such as in a restaurant, I've just been using a splash of vinegar and salt & pepper and no oil.
  • paj315
    paj315 Posts: 335 Member
    I typically make homemade BUT i agree with the Bolthouse farms yogurt dressings...esp the honey mustard, 45 cal for 2 T!

    Here are a few of my favorite dressing recipes:

    Vinegairette
    1/2 cup olive oil
    1/2 cup red wine vinegar
    1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
    1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
    1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
    3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
    3/4 teaspoon white sugar

    Honey Dijon
    1 cup olive oil mayo
    1/2 c dijon mustard
    1/2 c honey
    1/4 c olive oil
    1 tsp garlic powder
    1/2 tsp ground red pepper

    Raspberry Vinegairette
    2 tablespoons red raspberry jam (with or without seeds)
    2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
    1/3 cup walnut oil
    freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • albertine58
    albertine58 Posts: 267 Member
    I try to make my own sometimes, but my favorite store-bought light dressings are:

    Trader Joe's fat free balsamic vinaigrette (super good and only 25 cals per 2 tbsp! my go-to - I buy 3 bottles at a time.)
    Bolthouse Farms yogurt honey mustard
    Marie's yogurt caesar
    ken's light caesar

    and for mexican-style or taco salads I use salsa mixed with a little light sour cream. my absolute favorite salsa is trader joe's smoky peach salsa - amazing and adds a nice light sweetness to the salad.

    I don't like ranch on salads, but for a veggie dip I mix plain greek yogurt and ranch dressing powdered mix. I never use the whole ranch packet, I just add a little to taste.
  • momsfavoritechild
    momsfavoritechild Posts: 48 Member
    This hs really turned into a very informational listing for all of us seekers. Thanks to all contributing!
  • skyeny
    skyeny Posts: 51 Member
    Nonfat plain kefir is my favorite!

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